World News - Afghan Official Says 10 Killed in Coalition Airstrike Were Police Officers, Not Militants

A top Afghan border police official said Fri that 10 people killed in a US-led coalition airstrike had been identified as police officers, despite the US military saying it believes it hit insurgents fleeing the scene of an attack. The military said it was investigating Thursday's coalition airstrike in southeastern Paktika province but was confident that the trucks struck by coalition aircraft were those of "extremists" who had attacked coalition and Afghan forces, killing one Afghan soldier. "I completely reject what the coalition is claiming," said Gen. Abdul Rahman, Afghanistan's deputy chief of border police. "All these people who have been killed were very active and smart officers." Meanwhile, the coalition said insurgents had killed a US-led coalition soldier and wounded another in an ambush on their patrol near Asad Abad, the capital of eastern Kunar province, on Thursday. It did not give the nationality of the soldiers, but most of the coalition troops in Kunar are American.... http://abcnews.go.com

Telecommunications and Internet companies accused of working with the Bush Administration's domestic eavesdropping program could be in for more legal headaches, after a federal judge ruled Thursday that the warrantless wiretaps violated the constitution. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit dealt a major blow to the White House in a 43-page opinion that said President George W. Bush exceeded his authority and that the program violated the First and Fourth Amendments protecting free speech and privacy. She ordered the National Security Agency to immediately halt a secret program that monitors telephone calls and e-mails of Americans that are in contact with suspected terrorists. FUTURE FIGHT. The federal government plans to appeal the case, which appears headed for the Supreme Court. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the suit against the NSA, agreed to temporarily allow the wiretapping program to continue, while ...http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2006/tc20060818_382622.htm

The trial of an Chinese activist who raised concerns about forced abortion and sterilisation has taken place. Chen Guangcheng, under house arrest since September 2005, is charged with public order offences. It is not clear when a verdict will be announced. He had accused officials in Shandong of breaking family planning laws in their enforcement of the one-child policy. Before the trial, three lawyers connected to his case were arrested, but two have now been released. One of them, Li Fangping, told the BBC that Mr Chen had been represented, against his will, by two state-appointed lawyers in the closed-door proceedings. His wife told the news agency AFP she had not been allowed to attend the trial, which according to reports lasted about two hours. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5262748.stm

China raised interest rates Fri for the second time in four months as the government steps up its efforts to cool the nation's booming economy. The central bank raised the minimum rate for one-year bank loans 0.27 % point to 6.12%, effective Saturday. It also pushed up deposit rates to discourage investment by making savings more attractive.The move, following an increase in April, suggests that Chinese leaders believe measures already in place are failing to cool an economy that grew at a stunning 11.3% annual rate in the second quarter, driven by heavy spending on factories and other assets. "Investment growth is too fast, credit is too abundant and the trade surplus is too big," said a central bank statement announcing the rate hike. The increase is aimed at "curbing demand for long-term loans and the overly rapid expansion in fixed-asset investment," the bank said. It raised longer-term rates by an even bigger margin, setting the minimum for a five-year bank loan at 6.84%...http://www.usatoday.com/money/world/2006-08-18-china-rates_x.htm?csp=34

An appeal court in Australia has quashed the conviction of a man known as Jihad Jack, who was convicted of receiving funds from al-Qaeda. Muslim convert Joseph "Jack" Thomas was found guilty in February of accepting Aus$5,000 ($3,500) and a plane ticket from an al-Qaeda agent in Pakistan. The former taxi driver was sentenced to five years in prison in March. But the Victoria Court of Appeal ruled that some of the evidence used against him was not admissible at his trial. Mr Thomas had appealed on the grounds that his interview with Australian Federal Police (AFP) while under detention in Pakistan was inadmissible. His lawyers said that he had no legal representation, and had been pressured into a confession during two months in custody in Pakistan. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5262114.stm

Ryanair has issued the government with a seven-day ultimatum to restore airport security measures to normal or risk being sued for compensation. The budget airline says a larger cabin baggage allowance and fewer passenger body searches would avoid handing "extremists an enormous PR victory". The "no frills" airline prefers to put less luggage into plane holds to maintain its low prices. The government said it would not pay compensation or "compromise security". A spokesman at the Department for Transport said the government does not believe it has to pay compensation under the law. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5261908.stm